In case you successfully managed to trap a Richmond opossum in a cage or live trap on your property and are worried for its life, then it is the right time to begin preparing for its release and to take some important measures. While trapping an opossum is not difficult. You must use live traps or trap one inside your garage, shed, porch, or lawn. However, the real problem arises after you have successfully trapped one and that has to do more with the opossum’s life and survival.



The first thing that you need to do is to check whether the Richmond opossum is a female or a male. In case it is a female then it is highly likely that it also has its babies and nest somewhere near your property. Then, it would also be equally as important to do something about the babies. In case it is a male opossum then you certainly do not need to worry about the litter or a nest.

Understanding the entire situation
It is extremely important to address the situation once you have caught an Virginia opossum. This is because you can’t just leave the opossum where it is trapped and let it starve to death. That would be extremely inhumane for you to do so.

In case the opossum that you have trapped turns out to be a female, then try looking for a nest near your area. It is likely that you will most certainly find one nearby. However, try to do this quickly as, without a mother, the litter might die of starvation or fall prey to a number of predators. Normally, opossum’s breed in the summer and spring seasons. In these seasons, if you catch a female opossum, make sure to check for signs of nursing or pregnancy.

Do remember that killing an opossum to get rid of it is an inhumane act. Instead, it is better to find ways of scaring one away rather than killing it. Apart from that, it is also common for people to mistake other animals for an opossum due to minor similarities. Nevertheless, it is likely that if you scare one away, it will stop making your life difficult.

Before actually getting ready to catch an opossum, make sure that you know what to do with it beforehand once it is caught. Normally, the only thing that you can do is to release the opossum in a national zoology park. But as stated, if the opossum is nursing, then you will have to relocate its nest along with it. Indeed, catching one is no tough job if you do it right. However, killing one after catching is certainly not advised as that would leave the blood of an innocent animal on your hands.

In order to safely catch one, however, set up a cage with a bait near the animal’s hideout. Moreover, also make sure that the trap is set in a shady area so that the animal does not get dehydrated in the sun in case it gets caught in it.

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